Director Lee Unkrich and producer Darla K. Anderson are quite the team. They won the 2010’s Oscar®- and Golden Globe® for “Toy Story 3,” which is the second highest -grossing animated feature in worldwide box office. Both now have team up with writer and co-director Adrian Molina for Pixar’s next great movie “COCO.”
As part of the Pixar COCO Press Event, I had the pleasure of attending the press conference of these three awesome filmmakers in an intimate setting at Pixar Animation Studios.
Co-Director Adrian Molina, Producer Darla K Anderson and Director Lee Unkrich at the “Coco” Press Day at Pixar Animation Studios in Emeryville, Calif. (Photo by Deborah Coleman / Pixar)
COCO press conference with Director Lee Unkrich, Writer and Co-Director Adrian Molina and Producer Darla K. Anderson
Grand – Visually Complex – A Love Letter to Mexico – Follow Your Passion – the key themes that stood out for me expressed by the movie’s filmmakers.
THE LAND OF THE DEAD ©2017 Disney•Pixar. All Rights Reserved.
- Director Lee Unkrich pitched the idea of Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) to John Lasseter (Chief creative
Director Lee Unkrich (Photo by Deborah Coleman / Pixar)
officer of Pixar Animation Studios, Walt Disney Animation Studios, and DisneyToon Studios) way back in September 2011. But he did not just pitch one story but three since Lasseter likes people to pitch 2-3 ideas at a time. It allows him to make choices and wants filmmakers not to be so fixated on just one story. Lasseter definitely reacted to the Day of the Dead story line for its’ setting and that it was so unique and nothing Pixar had done in the past. I would think that coming up with one idea for a movie would be enough but three, it takes quite a creative imagination in my opinion to do that.
- Director Lee Unkrich thought he had an understanding of Dia de los Muertos but found out through extensive research and visits to Mexico how different the day is celebrated across the country.
- The movie will be premiered in Mexico City close to the actual Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) before making it’s U.S. premiere. The movie will also be played in Spanish at its Mexican premiere.
- Conveying meanings of customs and ideas was a balancing act to make the story entertaining and provide information about this other world while not making it a college lecture.
- Who is COCO? COCO was the working title which turned out to be the final title of the movie. Co-Director Adrian Molina explained that COCO is Miguel’s (the lead character) great grandmother. She is the keeper of the family’s stories and memories and symbolized the spirit of the themes of the film.
- Who wouldn’t love to watch movies for a living? The team’s research included watching movies in which the main
Co-Director Adrian Molina (Photo by Deborah Coleman / Pixar)
character (a child) find themselves in situations in which they have passion for something and their family does not support them in the pursuit of their dream. Movies like Billy Elliot, Whale Rider and Under the Same Moon.
- An earlier story line focused on a kid dealing with grief of losing someone. They thought it was a bit heavy and didn’t really align with Day of the Dead which honors the dead or nor did it embrace the values of family and life. They had to start over with the story which became the current story line.
- One of the things about movies that take place outside the U.S. is that the signage can sometimes be written incorrectly or mean something totally different. The Pixar team was also well aware and worked with a team in Mexico to double and triple check the Spanish signage in the movie to ensure it was accurate!
- According to Co-Director Adrian Molina while doing research, everyone on the team had strong opinions about what to call the day.
One of the reasons, I have always been impressed by Pixar movies is the amount of upfront research to get things just right and I think that the filmmakers wanted to ensure that we movie goers are not only entertained, hopefully gain more insight into the Mexican culture but at the same time ensure that what they portray is culturally accurate.
And did I mention that a new Frozen short “Olaf’s Frozen Adventure” will play in front of Pixar’s COCO.
About Disney Pixar’s COCO – Despite his family’s baffling generations-old ban on music, Miguel (voice of newcomer Anthony Gonzalez) dreams of becoming an accomplished musician like his idol, Ernesto de la Cruz (voice of Benjamin Bratt). Desperate to prove his talent, Miguel finds himself magically transported to the stunning and colorful Land of the Dead following a mysterious chain of events. Along the way, he meets charming trickster Hector (voice of Gael Garcia Bernal), and together, they set off on an extraordinary journey to unlock the real story behind Miguel’s family history.
Visit the official COCO website // Facebook // Twitter / Instagram
COCO opens in theatres everywhere on November 22nd!
